Improvement in knitting-machines



UNITED STATE l JOB ROSE, OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFHIS RIGHT TO WILLIAM F. SALMON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNlTTlNG-WIACHINES'.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,535, dated January9, 187.2.

I, JOB ROSE, of Nottingham, Engl and, have invented certain Improvementsin Knitting- Machines, of which the following is a specification: i

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines forknitting cotton, linen, and-woolen goods. It consists ot' certainmechanism whereby the goods are manufactured of a very superior quality,andare made to present the appearance of being seamed or sewed together,while, in fact, the goods are formed without a seam and with an unbrokenthread.

Sheet 1 represents a side view of my improved knitting-machine, having abreak in the same, showing the relative position of one of the needleswith regard to the lower cam, the construct-ion and arrangement ot' thesteel ribs fastened into the brass cylinder, and the seaming apparatusin position for working. Figure 1, Sheet 2, is a side view ofthemechanism by which, in connection with the other part-s represented onSheet l, the knitting-seam is produced. Fig. 2 is a top view of therevolving plate, as represented in Fig. 1, showing an edge view of theseaming-needle in its groove. Fig. 3 is aview of the upper part of Fig.l, showing the cam-groove by means of which the seaming-needle operates.Fig. 4C is a cross-section of the seaming mechanism, showing the needlein cam-groove. Fig. 5 is a magnified view of the knitted goods, showingthe knitted seam.

Itis notthought necessaryin this application to describe minutely thegeneral operation of the needles around the brass cylinder durin g theprocess of knitting, as said operation is similar to that on othermachines.

The same letters represent corresponding parts.

A is a driving bevel-gear attached to the needle-cylinder andcommunicates motion to the operating parts. Saidneedle-cylinder containsthe steel ribs K, and between which operate the needles d. B is one ofthe fixed cylinders containing the cams which work the needles. G is therevolving holder-back containing the cam which operates theseamingneedle. D is a movable collar, containing on its top surface asteady-pin, which takes into the slot Y, Fig. 3, said collar being forthe purpose of a stay to support and guide into 1ts right place therevolving holder-back. index-screw, by means of which the knitted fabricis made more or less open, said indexscrew movin g the cylinders B andO, containing the cams, upward or downward, as is desired F is one oftwo thread-guides exactly alike and disposed on opposite sides of themachine, said threadguides containing three holes, through which theyarn passes to the needles. G is the index-linger, connected to thesupport P and operating in connection with the indexscrew E. Hrepresents one of the needles for knitting, as shown through the breakin Sheet 1, said needle resting upon the lower cam e. I is a thumb-key,by means of which any needle upon the needle-cylinder can be easilyremoved when desired. J is a thumb-key, by means ot' which theseaming-needle can betaken from the holder-back when desirable.Krepresents steel ribs of even thickness, s'aid ribs being .fastened tothe outside ofthe brass shell of the revolving needle-cylinder. L L aretwo thumb-nuts, which hold the mechanism containing cams andseaming-needle in their places. M is a support, to which is attached theseaming apparatus. N is a standard, which is attached to a framework andsupports the entire mechanism. O is a stationary cylinder containing thelower cam e. P is a support, to which the cylinder O is attached. R isthe needle-groove in the plate S of the seaming apparatus, said needlemoving in said groove by `the action of the cam-groove U. T is the platecontaining the cam-groove U. V is the needle, by means of which theseam-stitch is made. W is a dog, attached to the under side of the plateS, said dog, when the machine is in motion, coming in contact with acorresponding dog inside of the revolving needle-cylinder. This dogcommunicates motion to the seaming apparatus. X is a collar, fastened bymeans of screws to the under side of the tube Z, said collar keepingtogether the ditl'erent plates which compose the seamin g apparatus. Yis a slot in the hub of the support M, said slot operating in connectionwith a pin in the collar D, as hereto'- fore described. Z is a tube,through which the iinished work passes during the process of knitting.

on opposite sides of the machine, which conne the two cylinderscontaining the n eedle-cam Eis ana is one of two screws disposed alike etogether. b b I) are three screws disposed alike on opposite sides ofthe machine, and fastening the cams e to their places. c c are twoscrews, which hold the seaming apparatus to the support M. d representsthe needles surrounding the cylinder. e is one of two cams which operatesaid needles.

lWIotion is communicated to the machine by means of the bevel-gear A.The needle-cylinder by being operated passes the needles over said cams,producing the desired movement of said needles wh en the knittingprocess is being carried on. rlwo single threads pass separately throughthe two holes, as shown in the threadguides on Sheet l, and the twocombined then .pass through the hole in said thread-guides,

shown by the dotted circular line, and are taken up and acted upon bythe needles. During each revolution of the needle-cylinder the seamingneedle appears and takes the thread at a point immediately after saidneedle has passed the thread-guide, shown in the drawing, draws saidthread into the said needle-groove, forming a stitch, and retainspossession of said stitch until said needle has passed the otherthread-guide, when it advances, but not far enough to pass the stitchback of the opened latch onto the shank ofthe needle, and receives onthe opened latch a thread from the other guide. As the cylindercontinues to revolve the seaming-needle passes around with it, remainingprotruded until it arrives at the first guide, when it receives a newthread and reciprocates sufficiently to form` a stitch, casting otl theone formerly made and the unlooped thread. Each loop at the seamed partthus incloses, besides the loop made from the thread in the secondpreceding row, a loose unlooped thread from the row immediatelypreceding, thus forming the seam, shown in Fig. 5, and differing fromall other machine-made seams in the fact that my seam will not, upon thebreaking of a stitch, come apart. The indexscrew isintended, whenoperated,to make the goods open or close in this manner, viz: By raisingthe index-screw the cams draw the needles, and, consequently, thethread, a greater distance into the space between said steel ribs,making longer stitches and more open work, and upon lowering the screwthe opposite result is obtained. By means ofthe guidecollar D theseaming apparatus can be adjusted to make either a close or open seam,as follows, viz: By lowering' the holder-back the seam is made close-r,or more open by raising said holder-back.

In the machines commonly in use, in the place of steel ribs fastenedinto the brass cylinder the outside surface of said brass cylinder iscut into the form of a ,gear, having straight teeth all around Ysaidsurface. As it is difficult to cut said teeth so that there shall be novariation in their thickness, (said variation in the thickness producinga corresponding unevenness in the stitches of the knitted goods,) andas, on account of their softness, said bra-ss teeth are liable to wearon the top edges, the quality ot' the goods produced is greatly inferiorto that produced by the machine which I employ.

When it is desired to make knitted goods without a seam it is onlynecessary to remove the seamin g-needle after taking out the thumbkey J,and when any trouble arises in knitting requiring the removal oftheholder-back, this is easily accomplished by simply loosening the upperthumb-screw L and sliding said holderback up on the standard N out ofthe way.

By passing two separate threads, one through each of the two frontholesof the thread-guides, and passing them together, untwisted, through thesingle hole, represented by the dotted circle, a perfectly iiatappearance is given to the stitch, which is greatly superior to thatstitch made by allowing the thread to twist previous to being acted uponby the needles.

What I claim as my invention, and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination of the seaming-needle V K

